While 93.4% of children with ADHD take medication, only 13% receive some form of psychosocial therapy as well, the researchers noted. Among children prescribed medication for ADHD, only 47.4% had follow-up with the pediatrician within 30 days.

Only 10.8% of patient charts contained a parent's rating of ADHD symptoms within the first year of treatment, and only 7.5% had any rating of symptoms from teachers. Nearly half the time, pediatricians also did not gather these behavioral rating scales from parents and teachers before diagnosing a child with ADHD. In approximately 30% of cases, pediatricians did not document use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria.

"The quality of care seems to be very low and not in accord with American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines," lead author Jeffery Epstein, PhD, director of the Center for ADHD, Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, told HealthDay.